Anthony L. Wilson
Chairman, President and CEO
Anthony Wilson is chairman, president and CEO of Mississippi Power, which provides clean, safe, reliable, and affordable electricity to southeast Mississippi. It is a subsidiary of Southern Company — one of the nation's largest energy companies.
Wilson has worked more than 40 years for Mississippi Power and the Southern Company system, starting in 1984 as an engineering cooperative education student in Biloxi, Mississippi. He moved to Georgia Power in 2002 and held several executive leadership positions before returning to Mississippi Power in 2015.
He is a statewide advocate for economic development, workforce development and education. During his term as chair of the Mississippi Economic Council, the MEC’s “It’s Time” campaign in 2020 garnered more than 1,000 businesses and individuals in support of the legislature’s historic votes to change the divisive state flag that had flown since 1894. It was replaced with an inclusive design that has changed perceptions about the state and enhanced its image globally.
Wilson recently served as chair of the Mississippi Aquarium Foundation to support and open the state-of-the-art facility, one of the state’s major tourism attractions. In another statewide leadership role, Gov. Tate Reeves appointed him to lead the Energy Impact Committee for the Restart Mississippi Commission on Economic Recovery related to COVID-19. He was also appointed chair of the Economic Development Committee for the governor’s Gulf Coast Advisory Committee.
He recently concluded a three-year term as chair of the Mississippi State University Foundation and is currently on the Bagley College of Engineering Advisory Council. He is also chair for the Mississippi Partnership for Economic Development and the past chair and a current board member of both the Mississippi Economic Council and the Gulf Coast Business Council. He also serves on the board of the William Carey University and the Mississippi Energy Institute.
Wilson has been recognized for his community service with the Distinguished Citizen Award by the Pine Burr Area Council and the Pat Santucci Spirit of the Coast Award from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce, He an active supporter of the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association, previously filling the role of chair of the Gulf Coast Heart Walk. He is a board member for the Home of Grace, a faith-based addiction recovery center.
He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Mississippi State University and an MBA from the University of Southern Mississippi. He is also a graduate of the Oxford University Advanced Management Program as well as Leadership Mississippi.
A native of D'Iberville, Mississippi, Wilson and his wife Tonya have three daughters – Meghan, Katie and Natalie – and three grandsons – Leo, Max and Henry.
